Listen Much, Talk Little
I am wearing a new hat–that of EMR consultant. I wish I could say it has been going swimmingly, but, alas, I can’t lie.
It’s hard work, and sometimes I feel like a freshman in a graduate program.
I am in the company of a bunch of MBAs, techie types, and business wizards that use their blackberries like a third hand. They talk the lingo, walk the walk and buy coffee together. Meanwhile, I show up, sometimes late if a patient is crashing, clutching my doctors lounge brew and a note book. I have had a big game of catch up to play as a lot of these folks have been working together for several years.
My biggest impulse is to try to add something meaningful, such that I look like I know what I am doing.
Wrong impulse. I called my dad, (thank god for dads!) who was an IT consultant in his time and a professor of IT. “What’s the best tactic for me to be valuable,” I asked.
“Listen much, and say little,” he responded.
Wow. That sounds a lot like what I tell myself before I go see a patient. Maybe I will get a hang of this yet.
Tags: consultant, EMR
